Giftwrap Challenge: Potato Chip Wrappers

Last week, my friend Ann (aka Nutbird) sent me a box of drop-dead amazing vintage wrapping paper. Pictures to follow, but the very fact that it came in a box and not on a roll gives you an indication of how old and cool this stuff is.

Then, as I was flipping through the stack with my co-worker, we noticed how different the paper is from what we see on the shelves today; not only does it look different, it sounds different. It crinkles. Crisp, delicate and precious, “almost like potato chips” she said.

Which got me to thinking…remember last year when Sun Chips came out with a biodegradable bag that was louder than an jet engine? That was fun.

And since half the joy of getting a present is opening it up, wouldn’t it be nice to give someone a gift that made lots of noise along the way? Lots of snack food wrappers, especially potato chips, come in these shiny bags that make the most beautiful crunching sounds. Wouldn’t you love to see one under the tree with your name on it?

Clearly, there is no tutorial required on this one. If you don’t know how to empty a bag of potato chips, please feel free to bring them to my house. We’ll do it together. Lola will help.

Cleaning the grease out of snack bags is easy too –just dip them in hot water with a splash of vinegar or amonia and watch the grease float to the top.

A few years ago, the Salvation Army in Danville, VA, where my parents live was selling old, old, old mylar (!!!) wrapping paper. You got a huge stack for 25 cents. That shit was fantastic. You couldn’t just rip into it; you had to undo the tape or use scissors to cut the presents open. If you were careful, you could open the present and reuse the wrapping paper again! And it made crinkly sounds, as well as being super reflective. It was awesome.

Sterzing’s Potato Chips! These are my family’s favorite! We used to only be able to get them while visiting my grandparents in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa but now they cover a larger territory. This would be great for my dad, though I think he’d be disappointed there weren’t chips inside:)

I had never thought to use chip bags – they look pretty cool. I will be one more thing my son will groan about be hoarding…I can hear his voice in my head right now “Can I throw this away or do you want to keep it as it has a craft application?”